kefir grains not growing
Tim Uckun
kefir. I keep one water kefir culture going with water, sugar and
sometimes ginger and/or dried fruit. The other water kefir is in grape
juice.
The milk kefir seems to be doing pretty good. I think it's growing but
I also feel like I should have much more by now than I do.
The plain water kefir grains also seem to be growing a little but not much.
The grape juice grains don't seem like they are growing at all. In
fact they almost seem like they are shrinking.
Everything is in glass jars. Sometimes I cover the jars with a lid,
sometimes I use a cloth cover. Trying to figure out whether oxygen
helps or hurts.
I do use a metal strainer because I haven't found a suitable plastic
one yet. The holes are either too big or too small.
The grape juice grains are in pure grape juice and nothing else.
I tend to let the water kefir sit for at least 48 hours to consume as
much of the sugar as possible (I am trying to lose weight). The end
result is almost bitter but I like it.
One thing I am trying today is to put the grape juice kefirs together
with the rest of the water kefirs in plain sugar water (nothing else
in the water). I am hoping it will rejuvenate them. They are
productive but not growing.
So what are some strategies for making more kefir? More sugar? Less
fermentation? Addition of other things?